Many products include additives, for example flavorings or fragrances intended to improve their organoleptic properties, or active agents used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, etc.
However, these additives can be altered over time due to reactions that occur once they are mixed with the base product.
This can be caused by an unstable mixture, an incompatibility of the additive product with the base product, etc.
This problem is particularly noticeable for cosmetic products, such as hair-coloring products, whose odor can cause discomfort to both the person that applies the product and the person to which the product is applied.
However, the compositions generally used in these types of coloring products include chemical active agents, such as ammonia, which generally quickly degrade fragrances and other olfactory compositions intended to mask the unpleasant odor of the base composition.
To preserve the properties of the additive, it is known to preserve the additive in a suitable reservoir, separately from the base product, and to proceed with extemporaneous mixture of the base product and the additive.
One such example that can be cited in this regard is patent application FR2895378, which proposes a sequential release of an aromatic or scented composition in a base product contained in a container.
The device described in this patent application caps the stopper of a container, wherein the aromatic composition is contained in capsules that can be ruptured under the mechanical or chemical action of the base product during its expulsion from the container.
However, such a device does not enable user control, and involves progressive release of the aromatic or scented composition as the base product is expelled.
It is thus not possible to carry out genuine and effective mixing between the aromatic composition and the base product before its use.
There is thus a risk of inhomogeneous distribution of the aromatic or scented composition, the consequence of which is the distribution of a product whose organoleptic characteristics are not guaranteed during the expulsion of the final contents of the bottle, for example.
In addition, said device is in the form of an adaptable end on a nozzle serving to distribute the base product out of the container. This very specific design thus involves cooperation between the device and the packaging of the base product and is not adaptable to any type of container available on the market.
Document WO 2004/024587 describes a “sports-cap” device for beverage containers. Formed of three superimposed mounted members creating a central axial channel enabling the distribution of the beverage for its consumption, this device also contains an encapsulated liquid colorant intended to be mixed extemporaneously with said beverage. Among said three members, the first member is adapted to be screwed on the neck of the container and is designed to receive at least one capsule containing the colorant. An opening in this first member enables the colorant to flow into the beverage to be colored, after rupture of the capsule. The second member, which slides axially on the first, crushes and ruptures the capsule under axial pressure exerted by the user's fingers on the upper rim of the second member. The third member corresponds to the nozzle of the sports cap. Able to move between two positions, it enables the system to be opened and closed.
A first disadvantage encountered with this device is the absence of a safety member preventing premature rupture of the capsules, for example in the event of the untimely bringing together of the first and second members during transport of said device.
This device also has the disadvantage of significant bulk. The use of a device of this design is hard to envisage in a field other than that of beverages, such as for example in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals where containers are generally much smaller and the neck narrower. As this is a sports-cap specifically intended for beverage containers, those persons skilled in the art are rather disinclined to use and/or adapt it for other containers.
Lastly, insofar as the rupturing of the capsules is dependent on the strength of the user, the quantity of the encapsulated product actually released can vary greatly from one user to the next and even from one use to the next. This defect in the repeatability/reproducibility of the amount released is totally unacceptable in terms of pharmaceutical or cosmetic products. Further, because of this dependence on the strength of the user, such a device has serious limits, in particular in the choice of the resistance to rupture of the capsules and the number of capsules to be integrated.
The invention aims at remediating said disadvantages.
In particular, one of the goals of the invention is to provide a device for the packaging and release of a product contained in a reservoir having a rupturable wall, which enables maintenance of the integrity of said reservoir notably during storage and transport of said device, and which by its simple design can be adapted to a large number of containers, including those of small size encountered in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics fields, for example.
The invention further aims at facilitating the rupture of the wall of said reservoir during the voluntary action of the user and to guarantee satisfactory reproducibility/repeatability in the release of the contents of the reservoir.